


But, Oh, Those Summer Nights

by archangelwithashotgun



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Best Friends, Camping, Caring Sam, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Gabriel Monthly Challenge, Human Gabriel, M/M, Post-High School, Pre-Slash, Sabriel - Freeform, Slash, Summer Vacation, Worried Gabriel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-18
Updated: 2016-09-18
Packaged: 2018-08-15 19:37:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8070052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/archangelwithashotgun/pseuds/archangelwithashotgun
Summary: Gabriel Monthly Challenge: September 2016
Inspired by both the dialogue prompt ("No one said you’re crazy. We’re all just… planning on whispering it to each other later.”) and the statement prompt (The end of summer made him nostalgic. He thought of slow, steady rain, humid nights in an old convertible and stars for as far as the eye could see.).
At the end of their annual summer getaway, Gabriel takes a moment to reflect and worry about what's to come now that everyone is leaving for college. Sam helps him understand that while things will and have changed, they can definitely change for the better.





	

**Author's Note:**

> So this was written for the very first installment of the Gabriel Monthly Challenge on Tumblr! I used both prompts provided, and yesss the title was inspired by Grease x) Hope you all enjoy!

Gabriel’s eyes fluttered shut as he took in a deep breath, allowing the distinct scent of lake water and faint campfire smoke to waft past his nostrils. His lips pulled up into a smile, reopening his eyes to scan across the expanse of the lake before him, admiring the way the orange setting sun glimmered pleasantly over the soft water surface. Around him, the soothing echo of crickets chirping rang through the air, punctuating by the occasional birdsong coming from the trees.

The end of summer always made Gabriel feel nostalgic. He thought back to some of his fondest memories made beneath the summer sun and moon, such as playing football underneath a warm stream of slow and steady rain, laying down on his back on top of the dew in the valley while uproarious laughter convulsed through his chest, humid nights on the hood of an old convertible under a blanket of endless stars, fire and marshmallows and the gentle strum of a guitar…

Starting the summer after their freshman year of high school, Gabriel and his friends had made it a point to set aside a full week near the end of vacation to spend at the Novak’s cottage in the woods. One last hurrah before they inevitably had to return to homework, nights spent cramming for exams, part-time jobs on the weekends, and after-school clubs and sports. It was a fun-filled week that consisted of a tire swing over the lake, canoeing, silly dances around the campfire, crappy ghost stories, hikes throughout the surrounding woods, and laughter.

Now, they were all newly graduated and about to start their first semester of college the following semester. It was certainly a cause for celebration, but the moment Gabriel could only feel a longing sorrow in his gut.

Ash was going to MIT. Charlie, Kevin, and Castiel were going to Harvard. Jo was going to the University of Chicago. Gabriel and Sam were going to Stanford.

They were all separating. For the first time since grade school, they were branching off and going their own ways.

“Kevin is gonna hog all the s’mores if you stay out here any longer, y’know.”

Gabriel turned around. Sam was approaching him, hands deep inside the pockets of his jeans as he sauntered up the slight slope of the lakeside, brow raised in question as he got closer to where Gabriel was standing. Gabriel privately savored the way the glow of the sun illuminated Sam’s face in a hue of golden bronze, bringing the sparkle of his iridescent eyes out in a way that made Gabriel’s heart melt. He gave a slow smile and lifted his shoulder in a tiny shrug.

“He knows better than that,” Gabriel replied, turning back to the water before him.

Gabriel heard the soft rustle of footsteps on grass before catching sight of Sam walking up to stand beside him in his peripheral vision. Gabriel sighed as Sam’s arm briefly brushed against his.

“What are you even doing out here anyway? Are you okay?” Sam asked, a tint of concern in his voice as he once again nudged his arm against Gabriel’s.

Gabriel smiled thinly. “Yeah, just… just thinking.”

“Well, don’t strain yourself,” Sam joked.

Gabriel playfully thrust his elbow against Sam’s arm, huffing an amused breath from his nostrils. Sam chuckled and rubbed his affected arm.

“Seriously though, Gabe,” Sam continued, the humor slowly diminishing as he reined himself in. “What’s up?”

Gabriel hummed, looking back up at Sam. Sam was staring down at Gabriel with an open and gentle smile, waiting patiently for whenever Gabriel decided to speak up. Gabriel internally groaned; he knew, and Sam knew he knew, that he could never keep anything from his best friend.

“I’m reflecting,” Gabriel admitted, shrugging again. “And at the same time, I’m thinking about what’s going to happen from now on. We’ve always been together, all of us, and now… now we’re going to college. We’re scattered all over the map! Just… everything is changing. And, I don’t know, I just feel like we’re all gonna forget about each other and move on or something.”

Sam was silent for a brief moment, biting down on his lip as a contemplative look crossed over his face.

Gabriel snorted and dropped his gaze, sheepishly rubbing the nape of his neck before dropping it with a slap against his thigh. “I don’t know, it probably sounds crazy. I’m crazy, aren’t I?”

Sam shook his head, shifting around to stand partially in front of Gabriel. He brought his hands up to curl around Gabriel’s biceps, locking their gazes together firmly.

“No one said you’re crazy,” Sam assured, giving Gabriel’s arms a soft squeeze. “We’re all just… planning on whispering it to each other later.”

Gabriel wrenched an arm out of Sam’s grip and shoved at Sam’s chest, smirking at Sam’s responding laughter. “Ass.”

Sam snickered, but he reattached his hand to Gabriel’s arm, sliding both up to rest on Gabriel’s shoulders. “Okay, okay. Yeah, things are probably going to be different,” Sam said, his humor melding into a soft kind of seriousness. “Things are changing. But that doesn’t mean that _we_ have to change, Gabe. We can always do our best to stay in contact with email or text, and we can always fly back home for summer and do this all again!”

Gabriel smiled warmly at the pleasant thought. “Yeah, maybe.”

“And Gabriel, _we’ll_ be going to Stanford together!” Sam said, grinning. “How am I supposed to forget and move on from you?”

Gabriel felt his heart grow warm inside his chest and he found himself beaming happily at the passionate boy before him. “Yeah. Yeah, you’re right.”

“Of course I am,” Sam replied happily.

Gabriel could only laugh in response.

As it trailed off into silence, there was a noticeable shift between them. They had yet to look away from one another, the amber of Gabriel’s eyes amplified by the sun’s glow as they stared deep into the forest hazel of Sam’s, each enraptured and still. Gabriel’s heartbeat ramped up in intensity, and he felt a shock of paranoia that Sam could hear it, that he would notice how fast and loud it was, and how it reached and yearned for the boy before him. Gabriel hitched in a breath, but he didn’t look away from Sam.

Sam didn’t remove his hands from Gabriel’s shoulders, and Gabriel couldn’t find it within himself to _want_ Sam to move them, for all the contact was doing to him. Sam’s expression slowly regained that previous contemplative look as he kept his eyes on Gabriel’s, his thumbs absently stroking over the collar of Gabriel’s shirt.

“Things are changing,” Sam whispered, interrupting the bout of quiet around them.

Gabriel nodded, a little taken off guard by the sudden jolt back to conversation. “They are.”

Sam nodded in turn, drawing in his bottom lip between his teeth in an almost nervous gesture.

“Things _have_ changed,” Sam continued lowly, and Gabriel both stiffened and relaxed as Sam’s hands slid up to cup around his neck, fingers running through the wisps of blond hair cascading down Gabriel’s neck.

Gabriel swallowed as his throat went dry, a thick sense of anticipation welled up inside of him as his lifted his hands to wrap around Sam’s wrists almost involuntarily, his thumbs caressing the pulse point as he found himself struggling to even breathe properly.

“Mmhm,” Gabriel hummed, unconsciously licking his lips. He shook as he watched Sam’s eyes trace the motion.

“Tell me I’m not reading this wrong?” Sam murmured pleadingly, slowly leaning into Gabriel’s space, his forehead pushing against Gabriel’s as he stepped just a little closer, his hands sliding over to cup Gabriel’s jaw.

Gabriel trembled and shook his head, tilting his head up slightly to rub his nose against Sam’s, barely any space in between their lips.

“You’re not,” Gabriel rushed out in a breath, and he sharply inhaled as Sam’s lips descended on his own, his eyes sliding shut as his lungs were filled with a life he hadn’t know was missing until this moment.

A tiny moan was muffled between their joined lips, and Gabriel’s hands let go of Sam’s wrists and instead they grabbed the front of Sam’s shirt, curling the fabric into his fists, coaxing Sam to come closer, to kiss him deeper.

Sam took that last step forward, moving his hands from Gabriel’s jaw to cup around the back of his head and around his right hip. Their chests were pressed tight together as Gabriel pulled Sam into an embrace, his arms slipping around Sam’s neck as he parted his lips. There was a whimper, possibly from Sam or possibly from Gabriel; they were too wrapped up in one another to be able to tell. But Sam surged forward, his tongue swiping inside of Gabriel’s mouth with renewed vigor.

Things had changed. But they definitely, _definitely_ , changed for the better.


End file.
